Monday, October 21, 2013

Butternut Squash Steak with Smoked Garlic Chimichurri

The idea for a butternut squash steak came from my buddy Ryan Trimm, chef at Sweet Grass and Southward here in Memphis. I saw it in the description of a dish on a wine dinner menu being held as Sweetgrass a few weeks back. He presented the grilled squash topped with a protein and compound butter. Here we've seasoned the squash with Montreal Steak Seasoning, a bright, smoky, and slightly spicy seasoning blend that works really well for this. For extra depth of flavor, we have added sliced, sautéed mushrooms before finishing the dish with a hearty spoonful of our Smoked Garlic Chimichurri.

I could eat this every day! It's hugely flavorful, healthy, and it's even vegan. Squash is in season right now, but it's not too cold to go outside and grill, so I strongly suggest you get out there and give this one a shot. Butternut Squash Steak with Smoked Garlic Chimichurri1 large butternut squash2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)Montreal Steak Seasoning (recipe follows)8 ounces crimini mushrooms (sliced)Smoked Garlic Chimichurri (recipe follows)First, select a large butternut squash that has a fat neck and a small bulb. You will get larger cuts from a squash that has this shape. Trim the stem end off and peel the squash using a serrated peeler. Cut the bulb-end of the squash off and reserve it for another use. Cut the neck into 4 equal pieces that are about 3/4 of an inch thick. Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Drizzle the cut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat. Season with a generous amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides of the squash. Grill squash for 8 minutes per side or until well marked by the grill grates and squash is tender.

In a frying pan over high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon of the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned. Assemble the dish by dividing the mushrooms among the squash steaks and topping them with a few spoonfuls of Smoked Garlic Chimichurri. (Serves 4.)Montreal Steak SeasoningIn a small bowl, mix one teaspoon each of smoked paprika, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, dried dill, ground coriander, cracked black pepper, and Kosher salt. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to season the squash. Store leftover mix in an airtight container for up to one year. Smoked Garlic Chimichurri2 cups loose-packed parsley1 clove smoked garlic*1 smoked jalapeño* (seeded and roughly chopped)juice from 1 lemon1/4 cup olive oilKosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste*This is simply a garlic clove and a jalapeño that has been smoked in an electric smoker for 15 minutes. If you don't have access to a smoker, just use two drops of liquid smoke.Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the parsley, garlic, jalapeño, and lemon juice. Turn the processor on and drizzle the olive oil in. You want the sauce to be chunky, not completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use. Makes about a cup and is good on everything.

I made this for dinner tonight - and it was the most wonderful thing I have ever put in my mouth. This is going on my favorite recipes list, for sure. Each element, individually, was wonderful - but when you put all three elements in one bite - WOW! Thank you soooooo much for this recipe!!!

I made this too, and it turned out quite nicely (even though I kind of improvised the chimichurri with the herbs I had on hand... it was probably closer to pesto in reality). I love this way of cooking butternut squash, and I'll definitely be doing "steaks" again. Excellent recipe and excellent tips! :D